Boom light



E. A. PRICE BOOM- LIGHT Jain. 18, 1949;

\ 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 12, 1947 INVENTOR I Ewsmv Ave "y mce ATTORNEYS Jan. 18, 1949. E. AfPRl cE 2, 59 7 V I BOOM LIGHT Filed March 12,1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR' 0/so/v Avmy Pv/cs Swazi;

ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 18,1949

BOOM LIGHT Edison Avery Price, New York, N. Y., assignor to Display Lighting Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 12, 1947, Serial No. 734,109

5 Claims.

1 The present invention relates generally to the field of lighting. In particular, the present invention relates to devices for supporting a. light on an elongated rod, and for directing same from a point spaced from the light source.

Devices of this type have been known in the art for some time, and are commonly referred to as boom lights, particularly when mounted on an upright support. Most of the conventional boom lights are rather clumsy and awkward devices, with the light source housing secured to one end of the rod or boom, and adjustable only when the rod is lowered within reach each time it is desired to change the throw of the light rays.

The main object of the present invention is the provision of a boom light device of the character described, so constructed that all movement of the light source housing may be directed from a single point remote from the housing.

Still another object of the present inventionis the provision of a boom light so constructed that the light source housing may be raised or low- ;ered, tilted back and forth about its point of securement to the boom, and rotated from a point at the opposite end of the boom rod, and inwhich all of these movements may be combined.

' Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a boom light of the character de scribed which comprises a hollow elongated tubular rod, 2. tiltable hand control at one end thereof, a tiltable light source housing at the other end of the rod, means extending from the control to the housing operating through the hollow rod so that by a'pplication'oi turning movement to the handle, the rod and the housing may be rotated in" the same direction, and tilting movement of the handle in a straight line direction tilts the housing in the same or in the opposite straight line direction.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which comprises a boom light having an elongated hollow tubular rod, a counterweight atone end, a light source housing at the other end, a manual control secured to the counterweight, and means to support the rod upwardly of the ground, whereby upon proper actuation of the handle, the light source housing may be raised or lowered, rotated in either direction, and tilted back and forth along a straight line path in a single plane.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a boom light which comprises an elongated rod, a support therefor, the rod being rotatably and pivotally mounted with respect to the support, a light housing pivotally secured to one end of the rod, a control handle 'pivotally secured to the other end of the rod, a cable extending through the rod, actuation of the handleat one end of the rod causing movement of the housing in response thereto, the housing being thereby movable up and down, rotatable with the rod, and tiltable about its connection to the housing.

In the drawings annexed hereto, and forming a part hereof,

Figure 1 is a side elevational viewppartly broken away and partly in section of one form of device constructed according to and embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2'-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a portion of the other side of the device illustrating the swivel block construction device opposite that illustrated in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a modification of the device also constructed according to and embodying my invention.

The device of my invention, as illustrated in Figure 1, is indicated generally by reference numeral l0, and comprises a multi-f-ooted support l2, and a hollow tubular upright l4. Slidably and telescopically dis-posed within upright I4 is an elongated round rod or shaft l6. Rod IB may be either a solid elongated round member, or may be hollow, as desired. The support I2, the upright l4 vand the rod or shaft It all may be formed of metal or any other suitable material. The structure and operation of support l2, the upright I4 and the telescopic arrangement therewith of shaft 15, as shown herein, form no part of the present inventiomand their specific nature and operation will be specifically described and claimed in separate application's;

Atop rod I6, I dispose a circular cap member l8, formed as by casting or otherwise ofsuitable metallic material, which is recessed axially there'- of up from the underside, as at 20, and of such cross sectional dimension as to fit over and onto rod I6. A wing nut or thumb screw 22 may be provided on the dependant wall portion of the cap in order to fasten cap I8 onto rod l6 while permitting rotation thereof about the rod. If desired, an annular groove (notshown) maybe provided about rod l6, near the top thereof, to receive the inner end of the wing nut. Other expedients may be employed, as desired, to robe solid or hollow, as desired. Above bore 32",

block 28 is recessed in from one side thereofas.

at 34, the outline of the recess in section being so shaped as to form a semicircular sa clfdlev ad to, receive the boom rod 56 therewithin. The-height and depth of saddle 34 must be of such size as to receive booms 50, 50a therewithin Block 28. is so proportioned with respect to wall 24, that the flat upper edge 36 thereof extends slightly above the top of wall 24, and inwardly thereof.

When it is desired to as em le he parts, th

boom. nods; 5%. 5041- are rested Within the saddle portion 3!; of the swivel block 28. The rods are so positioned within; the saddle ii -swivel block 28 that-4a lon er portion thereof extends forwardly of the saddle 3,4 than rearwardly thereof. The threaded 4 o a headed screw bolt is pas ed throu h. bo 32 i block: 2 1-. t Shaft 4!! being formed of such length as to extend out of block; {25' on; the side towards which the saddle recess opens. If desired, a split tension. washer (notshown) maybe-interposed between bolt head the outer-side of block Mr A washer 39of leather; or the like isthen threaded over. the shaft 40 extension, which is then inserted through a 'oii cular opening M laterally. through wall 24.

Opening 4| is located higher on wall 24' than the d stance fr m a ng 3 to the w r e 30'o-f the bloclc 233, so as to raise block 29 to such height as. tov clear shelf 25 onits pivoting movement, as will be explained below. Lock nut 42 is than. secured intovthe end of shaft 49 to lock the swiiuelj head; to wall. 24. with, the boomrod therebetween, as shown in. Fig. 2, not 42 being preferablyti htcned to such extent as to permit ready notation, of boom rod 50 within saddle 3.2. aswell as to; permit swivell-ing movement of head; I8 about the pivotof boltshaft 41). A pair of spacer rin s 6|, 5.13; are provided and mounted about rod 503.011: opposite sides of block 28, provided; respectivelywith set screws 65.. 6:1. to lock them in position asshowm in Fig, 1, to prevent boom rod from slipping or sliding with respect to block 28 except asdosi-red.

boom rods; 50, Soc-according; to my invention, comprise an elongated, hollow, round tubular membem, of. m ta r h lik tap redat its endsf-romia middle part. 52: or-- q o un orm s ct-ion. Thus or xamnl i t rod is seventy two. in hes n en th. the tip w l: e tap lted. ownward y t war th nd t f- This; dispar tyin. relativ t i ness along the boom rod len h n t. o lyreduces We ht ut -1 0 iucreasesri ity th r In. the modifi ation of; Fi e orward end 55 ofboom. rod ill terminates in an, angulated reach 58, to the end of; which issecured: a hollow swiu lt head tit. n nd f a hollow h usin -mod Q2 secuned to: swivel head 60- as by pin; 64-, the other-end thereof be n a ed or othe wise-fast ned to the: unde s de f a light housing .6. as hr: a s ii-out.- 74... li ht bulb. T is mo nted withmhousing 66 soas proi ctits. ra sth u h openin 1-2: in the'frontr of t e hou in point. suitable lenses. baffles, filters; et -l as; udlr 4 cated at 15, may be mounted. The wirings to the bulb socket 16 may be led through the hollow rod 62, hollow swivel head 60 and through reach 58 into the hollow boom rod 50, and out adjacent the opposite handle end of the device.

An elongated hollow, tubular sleeve, as 86, is provided and disposed within rod 50 so that one end 81; thereof terminates, in, proximity to the point of angulation of reach 58, and a metallic wire cable 98 is provided, the forward end 99 of which is pivotally secured to housing 66 at the underside thereof as at 8!, rearwardly of the point of connection of rod 62 to the housing. Cab1e 98. is threaded through the open end 91 ofthe-sleeve 96 which extends into and through hollow boom rod 50 and along the length thereof past, the rear end 54 just short of handle member 80.

A heavy counterweight as 82, formed as by casting or otherwise of suitable metallic mate- 9,8 is preferably formed of rigid metallic material f some xibil t so h n movemen of handle atone end of the boomv rodwill be transmitted to the light housing 6.6 pivotally mounted at the other end; ofthe; rod. as- Sembling the parts, groove 84 in counterweight 82 may ,but need. not necessarily, be aligned with the connecting points of cable 98- at BI and- 62 to the underside of light housing 6.6. When theyarealigned, it may facilitate actuation of the housing 65 inresponseto handle 811 operation.

counterweight 82 is formed of such weight as to balance boom rod 50 at the ofi-center poiggt whereinitis rested in the saddle 3410fswi-vel block 28'. This off-center positioning is desirable since it permits a, smallermovernent at the handleend to cause a larger or greater movement at the other end. of the boom, at whichotherend the housing with the light source therein; is: secured. Thus, when handle 86 and counterweight 8-2 are elevated, it pivots boom 50, and swivel block, 1;! about shaft 4,0 so as to depress housing 6.6-. When the handle 80 is pulled outwardly and away from its groove 8.4, pivoting about pin,8,8 cable 98; is, retracted, pivoting the light housing, 86 about the point of connection. 64: of housing: 62" to swivel hea t at the rom of h u in is. ti ted f rwardly. In like recliner; when handle 80 is pushed inwardly towggds tlge unterwei ht. able 8 1 tilts hous n $5 downwe dlyab utz vot The co nect on; o handle 80 to counterweight- 82, between; the; walls defining the groove 84, is such that boombll may easily be rotatedwithin saddle; 3.4, by twist n handle 80 aboutv the ax s of boom 50 rotating; llsht m1 life. There is sememov me rltof the cabl ba k and fo th acro ham lith. f. share 96. but. this will. n t ll litifil lfi y' cause-such damaging wear to the cable as would be caused by repeated bending or flexing thereof.

A suitably positioned aperture 83 is provided in counterweight 82, through which the electrical wiring may be led out of boom rod 50 for connection to the power source, and the switch may be positioned, as desired, on the counterweight as well, for convenience in manipulation.

In the modification of my device illustrated in Figure 4, wherein parts similar to those of the modification of Fig. 1 are identified by similar reference numerals, rod 50a, the counterweight 82 and handle 88 assembly, and cable 98, sleeve 96, ofiset arm 58, etc., are identical with those parts as shown in Fig. 1. In the form of Fig. 4, however, the cable end 99 is secured to an ear 8| at the underside of housin 66 at a point in front of the connection of the housing to the rod, rather than rearwardly thereof, as in Fig. 1. Thus, when handle 88 is pushed towards counterweight 82, the front of housing 66 will be tilted upwardly, and when handle 80 is pulled out of counterweight 82, away therefrom the housing 66 will be tilted upwardly.

Of course, it will be seen that with both modifications of my device, the results are the same to the extent that the direction of the light throw may be controlled from a single point remote from the light housing, and also to the extent that the handle need not be aligned with the points of connection of the housing to the rod and cable. Also, in both forms of my invention, the housing 69 need not be lowered within reach in order to change its direction of light throw, and all single or compound direction changes may be effected from one point through manipulation of a single handle 88.

My device, in all its modifications, is of simple construction and operation, its assembly requiring no particular skill or tooling. Its ease of operation renders the device very useful for photographic lighting, although it may well be used for other and different purposes.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A boom light and support therefor, the boom comprising an elongated, hollow tubular rod, a housing pivotally secured to one end thereof, a light bulb within the housing, a counterweight at the other end of the rod, a handle pivotally secured by one end thereof to the counterweight,

a cable connection from the handle spaced from the pivotally secured end thereof to the housing extending through the hollow rod, whereby swinging movement of the handle about its pivot is transmitted directly through the cable to the housing so as to cause pivoting movement ofthe housing in response thereto.

2. A boom light and support therefor, the boom comprising an elongated, hollow tubular rod, an angulated reach at one end of the rod, a housing pivotally secured to the end of. the reach, a light bulb disposed within the housing, a counterweight at the other end of the rod, a handle pivotally secured by one end thereof to the counterweight, a straight, elongated hollow sleeve disposed within the rod and terminating in proximity to the point of angulation of the reach, a rigid, flexible cable within the sleeve,

one end of which cable is secured to the handle at a point spaced from its pivoted end, the other end of the cable being secured to the housing at a point spaced from the point of securement thereof to the reach, whereby swinging movementof the handle about its pivot towards and within the housing, a counterweight at the other end of the rod, a handle pivotally secured by one end thereof to the counterweight, a straight, elongated hollow sleeve disposed Within the rod and extending outwardly therefrom at the point of angulation of the reach, a rigid, flexible cable within the sleeve, one end of which cable is se cured to the handle at a point spaced from its connection to the counterweight, the other end of the cable being secured to the housing at a point spaced from the point of securement thereof to the reach, whereby swinging movement of the handle about its pivot towards and away from the counterweight pivots the housing in re-v sponse thereto, and electric conducting wire extending from the light bulb within the housing through the reach and rod and out of the counterweight adjacent the handle.

4. A boom light and support therefor, the boom comprising an elongated, hollow tubular rod, an angulated reach at one end of the rod, a housing pivotally secured to the end of the reach, a light bulb disposed within the housing, a counterweight at the other end of the rod, a groove at the end of the counterweight, a handle disposed within the groove and pivotally secured by one end thereof to the counterweight for pivotal movement into and out of the groove, a straight, elongated hollow sleeve disposed within the rod and terminating adjacent the point of angulation of the reach, a rigid, flexible cable within the sleeve, one end of which cable is secured to the handle at the end thereof remote from its connection to the counterweight, the other end of the cable being connected to the housing, whereby movement of the handle into the counterweight groove swings the housing in one direction about its pivot, and movement of the handle out of the groove swings the housing in the opposite direction about its pivot.

5. A boom light and a support therefor, the boom comprising an elongated, hollow tubular rod having a manually operable handle at one end thereof and a light housing mounted at the other end thereof for rotary movement with the rod and for pivotal movement with respect thereto, and a light within the housing, the support comprising a pair of opposing and cooperating members between which the rod is disposed and secured at a point between the ends thereof while permitting rotative movement of the rod and housing and tilting movement of the housing and rod in response to handle-movement one of said opposing and cooperating members comprising an upright and fiat wall member, and the other thereof comprising a block pivotally secured thereto, the block being recessed to receive the tubular rod therewithin.

EDISON AVERY PRICE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

